WinPE and Win2K3/Sp1 Unattended Install Problem

[sabre31]

Hi -

I have followed the excellent tutorials on this forum however I am having an issue maybe somebody here has run across it.

I am using WinPE 2005 to boot up and install a Windows 2003 Standard w/SP1 OS using unattened answer file. WInPE boots up fine, I have the files correct on the CD for an unattended install and once I start the unattended install from startnet.cmd it loads up fine, starts copying files to the C drive and once its done it drops you to the command prompt.

No matter what I try, I even tried copying i386 to C first, then running winnt32.exe with the unattended answer file from there and still same issue. I have done many unattended windows CDs using syslinux. This is my first time with WinPE.

Here is my startnet.cmd

factory -winpe
echo.
echo.
format c: /fs:ntfs /q /V:HD /y
cd\Win2k3\i386
winnt32.exe /syspart:c /tempdrive:c /unattend:x:\Win2k3\i386\winnt.sif

As soon as winnt32.exe loads and copies files it drops to startnet.cmd command prompt each time.

I know the winnt.sif is fine as I use it currently to install Win2k3 in unattended mode using syslinux.

Any help is appreciated.

[sabre31]

Never mind my question above I figured out the issue on my own..thanks

Edited May 14, 2006 by sabre31

[Robell_Liu]

where do you figured out the issue on my own?.

Could you detail the description.!

I'm interest it.

[sabre31]

I had to do a couple of things.

(1) Make sure you set the Disk Active using the diskpart command first such as:

select disk 0
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
Select volume 1
assign letter c
select partition 1
active
exit

(2) then add the /makelocalsource syntax to winnt32 such as:

winnt32.exe /syspart:c /tempdrive:c /unattend:x:\Win2k3\i386\winnt.sif /makelocalsource

(3) Finally make sure you have en exit at the end of startnet.cmd so the system reboots after running winnt32.exe

Once the system reboots it will go into the windows 2003 setup using the answers from your unattended file.

Thanks